Mine car bumper



' June 4, 1935. w. T. DALTON 2,003,645

MINE CAR BUMPER 7 Filed Oct. 17, 1934 2 sneets sneet 1 W. T. DALTON MINECAR BUMPER June 4, 1935.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 17, 1934 .D a 'L tOrb,

7Q A /4 2 W /7 r M T? A z w 7 q f 2 M W w r u I 7 Z Patented June 4,19.35 V i it T D smts PATEN OFFICE,

. .....i:::::.::.:i;";.::':;:.:i:.... 90mm. (01. ass-'55) f Thisinvention relates to improvements in car ward the other cross member,compressing the g construction and particularly to the bumper and sp n sand akin p the buillng strains. 'Likedraft ri ging of cars of'theindustrial type, such wise, under draft strains one of the crossmemasmine cars. bers goes solid against the fixed sills and the Oneobject of the invention is to provide a other oss member is n a d y thva s bumper and draft rigging unit wherein bumng $1118 to compress theSprings h interposed and draft strains will be uniformly distributed. bw the we c o b the'm'evement 9 Another object is to simplify theconstruction the Several DBrtS vSimply b61118 t reverse to those ofsuch'a unit whereby it may beproduced at a under bumhg Stmlnsj 1ocomparatively low cost-due not only tothefacil- R f rr particularly F 85 and 5 t 10 ity with which it maybe assembled,'but ,1 t fixed sills l0constitute the sides of the present the factthat a minimumof parts andmaterial unit and located intermediate said sillsbut spaced is employed.I laterally therefrom'and laterally from each other A further object isto combine the bumper and e t e ovab e sills ll wh che rry th bump 1draft rlsgingin a more .or less unitary assembly. I2. The several sillsand the bumper maybe of 5 The invention also contemplates a combined anydesired construction b Pr ly th $1118 bumper and draft rigging for mineears wherein are made of channel cross-section, as illustrated. all wearis imposed on a minimum number of The bump r als p fe a ly has upp dpartsany oneor all of which are readilyreplacelower plate-like portionseach formed with openm able. r ings l3 inregistry with openlngsil'in adrawbar With these and otherfobjects'in view, the in- IS, these severalopenings being adaptedto re vention consists in certain details ofconstrucceive the 'usual coupling pin. As shown, the tion andcombinations and arrangements of parts, bumper serves the purpose oftying together, so all as will hereinafter -be more fully described tospeak, the movable sills and the plate-like porand the novel featuresthereof particularly pointtions thereof engaging the flanges of thefixed edoutinthe appended claims. j sills,zunder bufl'lng" and draftstrains, tend to In the accompanying drawings illustrating a steady theseveral parts during movement there preferred'embodimentof the presentinvention, of under such conditions. i

Figure 1 is a plan view of the combined bumper Extending transversely ofthe unit are floatin o anddraft rigging unit; I cross members i6, it.These cross members F18. 215 a side elevational view; project throughelongated openings or slots i1 F18. 3 18.1% longitudinal sectional viewon the in the intermediate movable sills Ii and their line 0 8- i a vendsengage inways or guides in the flxed'sllls P18- 4 18 8 milar View nthe l n 4-4 01' llLsuch vways or guides being preferably con- 18-stituted by slots 18. The ends IQ of said slots 85 5 is a o t sectionalv ew on the l constitute stops for limiting the movement of the 5 0 E-'a I cross members longitudinally of'the flxedsllls;

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section on the line The cross membersare provided, t their s, 8-. f F sthis-view. and the other sectionalwith suitable means such as clips or locksfll for 40 views b ing takenin th dir ion ind cated by preventing accidental lateral displacement ofthe 40 the NW 111 the Several W cross members l6, 16. To reinforce thewebs of G y, the comprises at least tWO Pairs the several sills, cheekplatesll may be provided of sills. h individual s s being paced at l yon the webs of the several members. These cheek of t structure and one pir b in ovable plates not'only tend to stiffen the webs of the 5relatively longitudinally of the other. The fixed sills, but they alsogive a greater area against' sills av ways n w i h ss m b rs may sl dwhich the cross members it, It", abut during and these cross membersengage the movable sills operation of the draft gear. At the end of thein such fashion that the latter can move relatively unit opposite thebumper, the fixed sill members to th cross members. Sp terposed bearetied together by a shield 22 which may be tween the cross membersyieldingly urge them made of any desired shape, although preferably 50away from one another,-but when buillng strains an angle baris'utilized. One angle of said bar are imposed on-the bumper which iscarried by is secured to the sills and the other angle projects themovable sills, one cross member goes solid rearwardly, as shown in Figs.1 and 3. On the against the fixed sills while the movable sills verticalangle of said bar 22, there is attached a 66 engage the other crossmember and move it toguide member 23 for the inner ends of the movablesills H. The shield 22, therefore, serves as a support for the guide 23and, in addition, eliminates pockets inside the car body and protectsthe working part of the draft gear from being filled'with foreignmaterial from the car. It also, of course, lends strength to the sillmembers.

As is more clearly shown in Fig. 6, the flanges of juxtaposed sills I0,I l, are directed toward each other, thus substantially forming ahousing for any desired number of springs which are interposed betweenthe cross members l6, l6", and yieldingly urge said cross members awayfrom one another. There is a follower plate 24 abutting against each ofthe cross'members l6, l8, and each follower has one or more projections25 for retaining the springs 26 between the cross members l6, It. In thepresent instance, there is shown two sets of two springs each, but itwill be understood that the number and size of the springs can be variedat will, the over-all dimensions of the unit being the determiningfactor. In some instances,.dimensional limitations may require thatdouble or nested coil springs be used,

in orderto obtain the'desiredspring strength. The follower platesshouldbe recessed as at 21 to accommodate the cheek plate 2| on thefixed sills. The corners of the follower plates may be removed to insurefree action. a

With the parts in the position illustrated in Fig. 5, assuming thatbufilng strains are imposed on the bumper If, the cross member l6remains stationary, but .the cross member l6, which is solid against theendsof the slots in the movable sill members II, will. be forced towardthe cross member It, thus compressingthe springs. The length of theseveral slots I8 is such that this movement of the cross member l8toward member I6 is limited and said member I will come into engagementwith the opposite end'of its slots in the side sills Ill before thesprings go solid. Upon termination of the application. ofbuillng'strains to the mechanism and assuming that at the terminationthereof draft strains are imposed on the gear, cross member It moves inreverse direction until it engages the forward ends of the slots in themain sills Ill and, during this movement, the other crossimember It willbe engaged by the movable sill members II and urged forwardly, thuscompressing the springs to take up such draft strains until it comesintoengagement with the forward endof its slots, this occurring, of course,just as in the case of bufiing strains, before the springs go solid- Itwill thus be seen that the present bumper and draft gear isofvery/simple construction. The bumper proper lends itself favorablytowards a merger with other parts, thus reducing the total number ofindividual parts in completing the unit. It also ties together certainmembers of the bumper construction and furnishes a bearing for thecoupling pin. The main, or side, bumper sills I I! serve as guides forother members of the bumper unit and also as a means of securing thebumper unit to the car body. The lateral disposition of the severalsills and their coordination with ,the cross members l6, l6, present anideal construction and arrangement for the distribution of the bufilngand draft strains that are imposed upon thernechanism.

What I claim is: v

1. A combined bumper and draft rigging for mine cars and the likecomprising fixed'side sills, intermediate sills movable longitudinallyof the side sills, a bumper carried by the. intermediate ingly urgingsaid cross members away from each other.

2. A combined bumper and draft rigging for mine cars and the likecomprising fixed side sills,

-intermediate sills movable longitudinally of the side sills, a bumpercarried by the intermediate sills, a pair of cross members eachextending transversely of all said sills, said cross members being freeto move longitudinally of the side sills and the intermediate sillsbeing movable relatively to the cross members, stops on the side sillsfor limiting the movement of the cross members relatively to said sills,and means for yieldllzgly urging said cross members away from each 0 er.

a 3. A combined bumper and draft rigging for mine cars comprising twopairs of parallel sill members, one pair of said members being movablelongitudinally of the other, a bumper carried by-said movable pair,crossmembers slidably supported by said sills, means for limiting thesliding movement of said cross members, and means for yieldingly urgingsaid cross members away from each other.

4. A combined bumper and draft rigging for mine cars comprising innerand-outer pairs of laterally spaced parallel sill members, one pair ofsaid, sills being movable relatively longitudinally to the other, a.bumper carried by the movable sills, transversely arranged membersextending through the inner pair of sills, said inner sills beingmovable relatively .to saidtransverse members, guide ways extendinglongitudinally of the outer sills for said transverse members, and aplurality of compressible elements interposed between the transversemembers. i

5. A combined bumper and draft rigging for mine cars comprising a pairof fixed sills, a pair of draftmembers movable longitudinally of saidsills, a bumper carried by said draft members, a drawbar attached tosaid bumper, ways in said sills, cross members slidable in said ways,said draft members being slidably supported on said cross members,springs interposed between said cross members yieldingiy urging thelatter away from each other, and means for limiting the movement of saidcross members in said ways.

6. A combined bumper anddraft rig ing unit for mine cars comprising apair of fixed sill members, a pair of draftnmembers, all of said membershaving transversely alined slots therein, a bumper carried by said.draft members, a drawbar mounted on said bumper, cross members extendingthrough the slots in said-sill and draft members and meansyieldinglyurging said cross members-away from each other, said crossmembers being slidable longitudinally of the sill members in the slotsin the latter-and said draft members being movable relatively to saidsill and crossmembers.

7. A combined bumper and draft-rigging unit for mine cars comprising apair of fixed sill members, a pair of'draft members, all of said membershaving transversely alined slots therein, a

bumper-carried by said draft members, a drawbar mounted on said bumper,cross members extending through the slots in said sill and draft membersand springs carried by said cross members and yieldingly urging saidcross membersaway from each other, said cross members being slidablelongitudinally of the sill members in the slots in the latter and saiddraft members being movable relatively to said cross memberslongitudinally of the sill members.

8. In a combined bumper and draft gear for mine cars, the combination01' main sills adapted to be attached to the car body, laterally spacedsills intermediate the main sills and movable longitudinally of saidmain sills, floating cross members carried by the intermediate and mainsills, springs interposed between said cross members and yieldingiyurging them away from each other, a bumper carried by the intermediatesills, an end plate connecting the main sills, and a guide means on saidend plate for the movable intermediate sills.

9. In a combined bumper and drait gear for mine cars, main side sillsadapted to be mounted on said car, vertically spaced flanges on saidsills, a bumper slidable between said vertically spaced flanges,intermediate sill members movable with said bumper; cross memberscarried by said intermediate sills and movable relatively longitudinally.ot the latter, springs yieldingly urging said cross members away fromeach other, ways in the main sills for said cross members, said wayscomprising means ior limiting the movement oi said cross members, aplate connecting the main sills at their ends remote from the bumper,and guide means on said plate for said movable intermediate sillmembers.

7 WILLIAMS '1'. DALTON.

